With a market value up to $2.50 an ounce, and online sales on the rise, it’s been called liquid gold. On today’s show, a look into the breast milk market, and how the biotech industry is getting in on the game.
Then, the question of why Homo sapiens thrived while Neanderthals became extinct has long been debated among scientists. We’ll hear from an anthropologist with a stunning new theory that explains their extinction: humans had dogs.
Listen to the full show or click read more for individual segments.
The Breast Milk Market
- Andrew Pollack writes about the business of science and biotechnology for the New York Times where we found his article, “Breast Milk Becomes a Commodity, With Mothers Caught Up in Debate.”
Sleep Trackers
- Shaunacy Ferro is a Brooklyn based writer who covers architecture and the sciences for Fast Company – lately, she’s been spending her nights trying out a growing number of sleep tracking apps, gadgets, and so-called smart alarm clocks. “I Tried to Design the Perfect Night’s Sleep. Here’s What Happened.”
Treating Insomnia Without Medication
- Dale Connelly is host of the podcast Brain Talk, from The John Hopkins Brain Science Institute. He recently spoke with a neurologist who says that, for insomniacs, medication doesn’t have to be the only route to a good night’s sleep.
- You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.
The Invaders: Humans & Their Dogs
- Pat Shipman is a retired adjunct professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, and author of the book The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction.
- There’s a summary of Pat’s wolf-dog theory at the Wall Street Journal: “Did Dogs Make Man a ‘Super Predator’ That Drove the Neanderthal to Extinction?”
- Read more about wolf dogs in New Hampshire here.
Music For Animals
- There's a wealth of studies out there on the benefits of music on our mental and physical well-being. But do the benefits of music therapy extend beyond to other creatures, beyond humans? Can music help animals? One woman is trying to find out, and Britt Wray brings us her story.
- You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.